Epilouge
by Freack
Summary: Just a short angsty one-shot about where the boys are 20 years alter. Rated for the mention of a character death. And uber-depressivness. Read, and review if you want.


**Epilogue **

**(20 Years)**

Ralph looked down at the letter, shocked. After all these years, he was just starting to forget the nightmare, and now, here it was again.

_Dear Ralph,_

_Hello. As you very well know, the 20__th__ anniversary of the day you, along with a crowd of _

_of thirty or so others landed on an island is coming up. In the twenty years since,you have no doubt grown and become a very different person, hopefully better. _

_I am planning a get together, a reunion of sorts, for all of those who landed on that fateful day. I hope to see you there._

_Sincerely,_

_Percival Wemys Madison_

Following that was some contact information, and a tiny, scribbled P.S.:

_Please, be sure to be there._

_It would mean a lot to very many of us. _

And while a good part of Ralph's mind was seriously considering throwing Percy and his lousy "reunion" straight in to the fire, the prevailing thought was, why not. He hadn't seen any of the boys from the island since he had graduated from high school. It might be interesting. He checked the calender. On the day in question, he had nothing planned, but he did have dinner with some friends the next day.

Grudgingly, he called and canceled his plans.

*********************

The first thing that hit Ralph when he walked into the hall was how he couldn't recognize a single person. As he walked around, he thought he might recognize a couple faces, but he couldn't be sure. It was certainly amazing what just twenty years could do to a face, especially that of a child.

What was equally strange was how many people seemed to recognize him. He was constantly being patted on the back, and handed a glass, hearing things like, "long time, no see, chief" or "Oh my God, it's you! Wow, you seem to be doing fine." It felt like he had told everybody in the room just exactly what he was doing with his life nowadays, individually.

Quite a few of the guests seemed surprised when they learned that their chief, as he had been, now worked in a cubical, and had an apartment with a cat.

Ralph could understand why they were slightly surprised. He had been a leader, and now he had faded into the rest of society. Ever since then, he had been wary of positions of leadership, he didn't handle it well. He was quite happy to sit at his desk and make notes.

It was very interesting to see now, how all of their lives had changed. The last time Ralph had seen these people, they were boys, and now they were grown men, with jobs and families.

Many of the others he had spoken to had led adventurous lives. Maurice for example, led tours through the Brazilian rain forest for a living, and most of the others had many-stamped passports, or hiked quite often. Ralph on the other hand, was quite disillusioned about nature. In his opinion, the potted aloe plant on in his office was quite enough green for his home.

Percival, who insisted on being called Percy, now worked in a post office, and would tell anyone who would listen that not only was he in line to being named post-master-general, and he was going to be a father. Mrs. Madison was small and mousy, and clung to Percy's arm protectively.

Roger, he learned, was absent, because he was in prison. From what Ralph could gather, this was not the first time Roger had been locked up, and almost certainly wouldn't be the last. Ralph couldn't help but feel bad for the boy, but he still harbored a lot of bitter feelings towards him, for obvious reasons, involving another young boy, and a giant rock.

Ralph was actually amused when he saw Samneric, the main reason being that they were apart. As children they were one and the same and inseparable. Now, as adults they each led their own lives. And beyond that, they now looked different. Sam had longer hair, and Eric had the beginnings of a beard. They had led very different lives, though both worked in the aviation industry, Sam as a pilot, and Eric being a mechanic. Sometimes as people got older, they grew apart. This was just a fact of life, but with the twin brothers, the departure of ways was especially pronounced. And though this had happened to Ralph many times through out his life, something about seeing Sam and Eric, and being able to tell the difference between them, made Ralph feel very nostalgic.

But there were other, smaller histories. Johny was a Baptist preacher. Robert has in food service. Henry was on unemployment. All the different people, of all walks of life, and all had a common denominator in their past.

One person whose life Ralph was actually interested in hearing about was Jack's. As he asked around, he learned the truth, bit by bit. Jack had struggled through school, spending more time in detention than in class. After he dropped out of school, without graduating, he has in and out of therapy and jail for years. He never seemed to get used to normal life. Then, finally, just five days before his twenty-third birthday, Jack jumped in front of moving highway traffic.

Though Ralph had never thought of Jack as a friend, he couldn't help but feel sad. He also had had a difficult time adjusting back to life in civilization after the years on the island. Later, when everyone was swapping stories around a campfire later in the evening, he learned that he was in no way the only one. There were others who still slept with the light on. And had been made to graduate with a lower class, because they were an entire three years behind in school work. Others who hadn't known how to talk to their own parents. And were still in therapy. And still avoided beaches. There were even people who were still a bit uncomfortable around the campfire, Eric was actually standing a little ways away.

And though what they shared was suffering, it was still comforting to have other people to share with. It helped them all feel a little less alone.

Before he left to go home and feed his cat, Ralph went around, and got e-mail addresses, and telephone numbers, and thanked Percy for the invitation.


End file.
